Only a Puppet, With Stings Attatched
by fight4foo
Summary: Nobody had been told about Albert's relationship with the Count before. After unsuccessfully telling Franz about it, Albert meets the Count again only to find him...different. Countx AlbertSequel to The Puppeteer That Controls Us All. Yaoi, noncon, rape.


**Only a Puppet, With Strings Attached**

**Author: **Emma  
**Rating:** R  
**Pairings:** Albert/Count  
**Genre:** angst this point  
**Chapter: **This piece is the third in the 'Puppets' series. To be read after "The Puppeteer That Controls Us All". It might stand on its own though…  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned Gankutsuou, I wouldn't have had to cry in the end.  
**Warnings:** Yaoi, non-con, rape, yeah, lot darker than the others.  
**Notes:** I'm not really happy with this piece, it doesn't really fit with the others, but let me know what you think. Also, un-betad.  
**Dedication:** To Kira, who inspired me to get off my ass and actually write something. I wouldn't have done it otherwise!

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* * *

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Albert sat on the side of the bridge, watching the rapidly churning water below his perch. The river gurgled as it traveled on below him, frothing as it ran into rocks and logs. He was at peace. The sweet summer air flowed lazily around him. Birds chirped from the branches above his head, adding to the serenity he felt. The tumult of the last few weeks was nothing here; his mind was completely at ease.

A rough, stone-paved path led up to the bridge where he sat. For several minutes Albert sat quietly and gazed along it, until a foot came into his view. His eyes followed the foot and up a leg, till at last he recognized who stood before him. The Count of Monte Cristo (Dantés, Albert silently chastised himself) was standing stiffly, looking down on the teen.

Albert's eyes lit up at seeing his lover, and was about to greet him, but the words caught in his throat as he was impaled upon a sword. The steel blade lodged itself right below his heart, bringing Albert greater pain than he had ever felt in his life. Again, he looked at the Count, who stood, calmly holding the sword which was now, slowly killing Albert. He gasped for breath, feeling the last of his life drain from his body. As he took his dying breath his eyes stayed trained on the other man, who suddenly glowed, a twisted evil looking pattern appearing on his forehead. Albert tried to cry out, to warn the Count of the vile, glaring, symbol that had suddenly appeared on his face, but no words came as the world suddenly went dark. This was the end.

* * *

Albert sat up in his bead, gasping for breath as though he had just run a ten-mile marathon. The world swam back into focus before his sleep-ridden eyes and everything appeared to be normal. Nothing was out of place in the spacious room. Light filtered in the open window, telling the time of day to be well past dawn. Albert sighed in relief at seeing his familiar surroundings. 'Only a nightmare I guess.' Guiltily he looked down at his sheets and twisted them around his fingers. 'That's right, how could it be real, I mean that would never happen. Silly to get worked up over it…' Still, the feeling of calm that he had held only moments ago would not return as he got up and mechanically dressed himself. 

Albert's mind churned over the recent nightmare, wondering what it could mean, where it had come from. The last few weeks had been as close to heaven on Earth as possible. Three times he had seen the Count, not in the friendly way he used to, but as a lover. Their relationship had yet to progress as far as it could, but Albert was young and needed time to adjust. Still, these disturbing dreams came more and more frequently. Always, they would end with his death, at the Count's hands. Doubts still niggled at the back of Albert's mind, questioning constantly about the Count. He loved the older man, Albert was certain he did, but constantly he was reminded how little he knew about his lover. Still, he would wait for eternity to learn all about the man.

* * *

The young Viscount whistled as he walked down the street. After the initial shock from the nightmare that morning he was having a wonderful day, the peacefulness from earlier in the night returned. How he walked lazily to his destination a couple blocks away where Franz had agreed to meet him for lunch. What had further added to his good mood was a message from the count brought by Bertuccio around noon. He was cordially invited to tonight's opera by his Excellency the Count of Monte Cristo (Dantés he once again chastised himself). There was nothing in the world that made Albert more happy than the prospect of meeting the Count. Nothing could possibly bring the young man out of the clouds. 

From a block away from the restaurant Albert spotted Franz sitting at one of the outdoor tables. He quickened his pace, eager to eat and even more eager to talk to his best friend. As of yet, no one had been told of his and the Count's relationship, Albert was still unsure that something so wonderful had happened to him and wanted to check that it wasn't all just a dream. After assuring himself that he was in fact awake and the Count had stayed with him, Albert chose the first person to know about it to be Franz. Usually he would tell his mother about something of this nature, but for some reason she became tense and withdrawn whenever the Count was mentioned. Albert wasn't sure what her reaction would be to the news. If his mother acted strangely whenever the count was mentioned, his father was down right scary. His eyes would narrow and the left one began to twitch. His voice would raise several decibels and he would desperately try to change the subject. No, Franz was a much safer option in comparison.

"Bonjour Albert!" Franz called out from his table, waving at his excited friend. In reply Albert grinned and waved, pulling up a chair from a nearby table. They sat silently, looking at their menus. Ever since the trip to Luna there had been an underlying tension between the two. Franz didn't particularly like how much time Albert spent with the Count, still suspicious of the older man's interest in the Viscount, but said nothing about it.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, Franz. Not since we helped Valentine and Maximillian." Albert said softly, unsure of how to tell Franz what he wanted to.

Franz laughed, waving his hand slightly to dismiss what Albert had said. "I've been busy and so have you. Not that I know where you've been. Hiding something, Albert?" Franz slapped on the back jokingly. "A little miss you've been keeping from me?"

Albert looked down at the table, wishing the food would come to serve as a distraction. "I guess you could say that…" he replied, still not looking at Franz.

Franz choked on his drink at hearing Albert's reply and quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe off the table where he had spilt it. "What? Really? Albert, tell me?"

Still, Albert looked down at the table, and mumbled a reply quietly. "What's that? I can't hear? Speak up!" Franz called out, leaning in to better hear Albert's response.

Albert sat up in his chair to look Franz firmly in the eye. He wasn't sure why he was nervous about exposing his relationship to the Count; maybe he was afraid of their reaction. He spoke in a strong voice. "I'm with the Count of Monte Cristo."

Franz's eyes widened and his mouth hung open. At any other time Albert would have found this funny, but now it only made him nervous. "I have been for…four weeks now."

Franz swallowed and breathed in for a moment before attempting to speak. "Albert…he's a guy."

Albert growled slightly in frustration with his friend. "I know that, obviously. Do you have a problem with it?"

Franz sat for a moment though, to collect his thoughts before speaking again. "No, I don't. It's just that this is rather sudden and…I don't trust him," Albert made as if to speak in outrage at this but Franz held up a hand to stop him. "Let me finish. I mean, think about it. You're fifteen and the Count is at least as old as your parents, if not older. Why would he, no offence, but why would he go out with someone like you unless he had an ulterior motive?"

Albert stood up, throwing down a few bills to pay for his meal before looking coldly at Franz. "I don't know what you're trying to get at here Franz, but I don't want to hear it. What the Count and I feel for each other is mutual. The one who understands the Count the best is me." He threw a dirty glare at Franz and began to walk off.

Roughly, Franz pushed away from the table and got up to chase after his friend. A block later he caught up to Albert and stopped him, grabbing his arm to keep him from going on. "Listen…I'm only saying this for your own good. He's going to use you, and I don't want to see you get hurt. Just…keep away from him." Franz panted.

Albert took Franz's arm off him and sent him a death glare. "I don't know where you're getting this from, Franz. I already told you I know the Count best. Are you jealous?"

It was Franz's turn to glare. "I'm not jealous. Why won't you believe that I'm doing this for your own good?"

"Because you're not!" Albert shouted.

Franz closed his eyes to think for a moment. "When are you seeing him next?"

Albert replied harshly. "Tonight at the opera and there's not-"

"Don't," Franz interrupted, opening his eyes to look seriously at Albert.

Albert turned around to leave and called back over his shoulder. "I don't really care what you say. A true friend would let me be with the one I love."

Franz winced at the harsh words, but vowed to find out the motive behind the Count's actions. He never wanted to see Albert hurt.

* * *

Later that evening Albert's foul mood still remained, but things were looking up as he exited the limo to meet the Count at the opera. He was still troubled by what Franz had said, but quietly told himself that he said it out of jealousy, nothing more. The Count had said he loved him so there was nothing to worry about, right? 

As he walked into the opera house's magnificent lobby, Albert spotted his lover leaning against one of the pillars, dressed in his usual black suit and hat. His good mood quickly returned and he rushed over to lover, fully intent on embracing him right then and there. As he stepped forward to grab onto the Count the older man held up a hand to stop him, nodding to indicate all the people in the lobby who would be watching.

Albert laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I forgot myself there. It's just I haven't seen you for a couple of days…"

"Bonsoir," the Count said simply and smiled at Albert, before indicating they should head to his box.

As they waited for the show to start the two didn't say anything, but Albert didn't say anything. He was just happy to be with the Count again little else mattered to him. Albert scanned the crowds far below them, looking for his friends and parents. After a few seconds searching he located Franz. He caught the other teen's attention and then smirked as he grabbed the Count's hand, who did not protest the contact. Franz frowned and turned away to talk with Euginé. Albert continued to smirk at him for a moment more before turning to the Count.

For several minutes Albert tried in vain to start a conversation, but gave up as it seemed his lover was not interested in a mood to talk. The truth was the Count was preoccupied with the coming week, where his revenge would finally be coming to a close. Everything was already in place; he just had to watch over the execution. What hung more heavily on his mind was what would happen after everything had taken place. His contract with Gankutsuou was "all encompassing" meaning his body was owned by the dark being. After the revenge had taken place his body would no longer be needed and most likely disposed. The more human side of the Count was frightened of this prospect, but the desire he held for revenge greatly over-ruled any fear he held. These thoughts and others had twirled through his head for many days, leaving the Count in a dangerous mood.

The curtains were drawn and the opera started. It only took a few minutes for Albert to begin drifting off, only to wake up during a few of the high notes. By the second movement he had fallen asleep completely, leaving the Count alone in the otherwise empty box. He watched as the younger man slept, taking in his features. His face was smooth and clear except for the one mark below his left eye. His body was on the small side, but well built. The Count took note of all of this, to remember for later. As part of his revenge was making Albert fall in love with him, he needed to seal the contract, make it more lasting. That meant, by the week after next when everything reached completion he needed to have made love with Albert. A part of the Count's heart felt guilty, using the boy like this, but it was an absolutely necessary for the revenge. He merely needed to wait for the boy to be ready so as to not scare him away.

The lights were raised once again for the intermission, but still the Viscount slept on. The Count decided not to wake him, allowing him a few more moments rest. From somewhere in the shadows Bertuccio stepped forward and addressed the Count. "My lord, would you like anything from downstairs?"

"No, I'm fine, Bertuccio. Get some wine for Albert, though. I'm sure he'll be displeased he missed intermission when he wakes up." The Count answered, not looking up from the Viscount.

"Yes, my lord."

Bertuccio left, accidentally leaving the door into the box open, but the Count took no notice. He took no notice either when a young girl, only about three, walked in through the open door. She walked forward, boldly, not at all afraid of the dark man in front of her. The Count saw her as she walked past, to the balcony, looking over and making small cooing sounds at the beautiful sight. He sat there, unsure of how to react to her presence and wishing Bertuccio was there to remove her. She turned around to glare at him, almost as if she knew he had been thinking about how to get rid of her.

The young child strode forward to stand in front of the Count, eyeing him down. Slowly she raised a hand, which he now saw had a small blanket in it, to wave around in front of his face. The Count quirked an eyebrow at this, not really knowing or caring about what the child was doing. Again, she stood there, giving him her best glare and waving the blanket. This hit the Count as being particularly amusing, so he smiled widely at the child, showing all his teeth. For a second she stood there, stock still, before raising one tiny finger to point at his teeth and beginning to shriek. She stood there yelling, even after the Count had closed his mouth, until her frantic mother came in, apologizing hurriedly. The Count remained silent.

Albert awoke at hearing the screaming and spoke sleepily to the Count, "What was that? I thought I heard yelling…"

"A child wandered into the box and became frightened," the Count replied disinterestedly, his mind still replaying the event. When he was young he had been a favorite amongst the children of Marsailles. He and Mercedes had always dreamed of having a large family. Now, the child saw his pointed teeth and was frightened, frightened of him. The Count had never actually thought about the impact merging with Gankutsuou had on him. The child had pointed at him like a monster, which, in a sense, he was.

Next to him, Albert crawled out of his seat and partially onto the older man's lap, gently turning his face towards his own. "Count, what's the matter? You've been very quiet."

The Count gave him as warm smile he could with his mouth closed, "Nothing Albert. Ah, here's Bertuccio with your wine. The opera's starting."

The Viscount moved back to his seat, but continued stroking the other man's hand throughout the opera. After it was over, they left together, ignoring the glare Franz threw at them as they passed. The ride back to the Count's home was silent, after Albert's initial pleading to stay the night. The Count's bad mood was worsened by the encounter with the child and he remained silent, thinking. Albert sat there, aware that the other wanted silence, but not talking almost the entire evening pained him, which could be seen plainly on his face.

The silence remained thick and heavy over the two as they walked into the house. The Count knew he would have to come out of his bad mood soon and speak or the Viscount would begin to blame it on himself. They walked into the large bedroom and crawled immediately into bed because it was so late. Albert took off his shirt before crawling under the covers and the Count crawled in, fully dressed as usual. For a few more moments they lay silently, eyes adjusting to the darkness. The Count was about to clear his throat and end the horrible silence, when softly beside him, Albert spoke up.

"Dantés," he whispered, oblivious to the Count's small flinch at hearing that name, "do you believe there is one person we are destined for? You know, on person on Earth we are meant to be with?"

The Count remained silent, carefully thinking of his answer. He couldn't say yes because he had already told Albert that he had loved someone deeply in the past. To say no though might discourage the young boy. Slowly he spoke up, choosing each word carefully. "I think…we are all destined to have someone. It's just a matter of being able to choose who it is."

Albert perked up and laughed, "You just have to 'wait and hope', right?"

The Count chuckled deeply, "I suppose."

"But," in a second the young man's serious mood came back, "what if you find that person and they don't love you back, or they leave you for someone else?"

The Count furrowed his brow. He needed to quickly steer the conversation down a different path, it was getting a little too close for comfort. "If the love is not mutual, they were not the right person. If someone were to leave you for another, it's obvious they don't return your feelings as strongly."

Albert remained silent for a few minutes, settling down deeper into the bed and reaching around the Count's back to pull him close. After the silence had persisted so long that the older man was sure his lover had fallen asleep, he had drawn the sheets closer and was preparing to join him when he heard a soft whisper from behind. "Je suis avec toi…" and with those simple words. everything changed.

* * *

It was late and Albert was very tired from the opera and fight with Franz earlier that day. He had been fully prepared to fall immediately asleep, but his mind would not let him, still thinking about what little of the opera he saw. In the story the main character had been sure she was in love with this man, that he was the only one, but she caught him with her sister, meaning he did not love her as deeply. Eventually, the main character could not bear to live with this grim reality and killed herself. This notion of a pre-destined person that we were supposed to fall in love with plagued Albert. Was that what he had with the Count? 

Gathering up his courage, Albert ran this idea of a 'special' person by the Count. However, his answers seemed distant, as though he was thinking about some painful memory connected to the idea. Still, his answer helped to set Albert's mind at ease somewhat, if not then bringing up again how little he knew about his 'lover'. Determined not to let these kinds of thoughts bother him again that night, Albert settled down to sleep. However, as he was doing so, it popped into his head that maybe he should somehow hint at the Count he wanted him to be the 'special person'. He said the first idea that popped into his head that would discreetly drop a hint. "Je suis avec toi…"

Albert had expected the Count to pick up the hint, maybe with a laugh, or maybe without saying anything in return. He did not, however, expect to be knocked over as the Count pushed him into a hungry kiss.

Their mouths met roughly, the Count's teeth clacking against Albert's as kissed him passionately. While Albert had been surprised, he welcomed the Count and kissed him back almost as hungrily. The older man bit down on Albert's lip, biting at it harshly to the point that it began to bleed. He gasped at tasting his own blood, trying to push back the Count, but instead offered an opening for a tongue to slip into his mouth. The Count roughly explored the hot cavern with his mouth, still biting at Albert's lips every now and then. The Viscount tried to fight back with his own tongue, but to no avail, the Count continued to plunder his mouth ruthlessly.

Desperately Albert tried to gasp for air; the other man lay on top of him, crushing the air out of his lungs. As the hot lips moved off his mouth and down to his neck he almost sighed in relief, before he felt the sharp teeth bite into his neck. This was no nip like Albert would have expected from a lover, but a bite so hard it drew blood. He nearly was brought to tears as he felt several other bites being made, but said nothing.

The count moved slowly down Albert's neck and shoulder, leaving a trail of painful looking bites. He reached Albert's chest and sat up to stare longingly at the pert nipples before descending his mouth onto the left one. With his hand he twisted ruthlessly at the right one, as he bit harshly onto the left. Albert gasped and cried out "Dantés"; torn between the pain and pleasure he was being given. The Count sucked on the nipple, swirling his tongue around it and scraping with his teeth before switching sides. The young man writhed beneath him, grasping at the sheets as though tempted to push the other off, but refraining.

Albert could not, however, refrain from shouting out as he felt a hand plunge below his pants and pulling them off, leaving him completely naked. The hand continued to snake around, brushing against his upper thighs and groin, causing him to harden instantly. It stopped to rest on his bottom, massaging it roughly, to the point of turning the one cheek red. He tried in vain to pull it off, but the Count would not have it and bit even harder on his right nipple. The Count thrust his hand between Albert's legs in the back and into his tight entrance. Up until now the young man had done a good job at stifling his screams, but as he felt the intruding finger thrust into his entirely unprepared hole he screamed bloody murder. The finger pushed harshly in an out, ripping the flesh, causing blood to slowly drip down Albert's legs. Again he cried as another finger joined the first in pumping in and out of his bleeding body. The two fingers together rammed into the spot inside Albert that made him see stars. Instantly he came, spurting white liquid down his front to mix with the deep red blood on the mattress.

Terrified of what would happen next, Albert tried to crawl away from the Count, but any movement at all caused white-hot pain to shoot through his body. Roughly the Count pulled him back to sit between his legs. As Albert heard a zipper unzip behind him he started to struggle away, but the older man was too strong for him to fight off. His mind whirred as he thought, confusedly about what was happening to him. Suddenly warm flesh could be felt right behind his entrance. Giving in to the inevitable, Albert screamed and stopped fighting as the pain of having something else forced into him became over-whelming. Ruthlessly the Count pulled out and pushed all the way back into the young man. The bed springs creaked from the force with which he was pounded into the bed. Albert didn't think the pain could get any worse, but one of the cold hands reached forward to roughly stroke him, not caring as the long nails cut into the sensitive area.

Between the stroking and pain/pleasure he was experiencing Albert grew hard again, unwillingly. As he reached a second climax, Albert felt the Count reach his completion behind him. For the split second where Albert could still see and think before cumming, he thought he saw the Count's forehead, glowing with an intricate design much like the one he saw in his dream. He came, again seeing white and quietly in his ear he thought he heard, "Et vous êtes avec moi."

* * *

Albert woke as the blinding sunlight entered the room through its large window. He lay in a sticky mess combined of blood and cum, his lover nowhere in sight. 'Good thing he's not here. I don't think I could see that man without retching right now. What happened last night? How could he do that to me?' 

He carefully sat up, pain sparking from all over his body, at hearing the door creak open to revel Ali and Bertuccio standing in it, Haydée close behind and shielding her eyes from the gruesome sight Albert was sure he made. He tried to cover himself, but fell down, unable to take the pain. Silently Bertuccio carefully picked Albert up and laid him down so that the bed could be cleaned. Ali came over and began to treat his wounds as Haydée watched on anxiously. Everything happened in completely silence, other than the occasional whimper of pain from Albert, making it almost seem like a dream, or nightmare.

After all his wounds were treated, Albert was again left alone, with a sleeping pill and glass of water to keep away the thoughts he didn't want at the moment. Before taking the sleeping pill he contemplated the glowing insignia he had seen on the Count. 'What could that have been? Why was it the same thing I saw in my dream?' with a sob he took the pill and thought solemnly, 'I guess Franz was right about the Count. I feel so lost…'

* * *

The room was dark, dank, every bit like the cell he had lived in for over ten years. The Count sat, his chest heaving with the pain of breathing. In his hands he clutched his forehead, glowing eyes reappearing in full force. His mind raced at what had just happened. Some serious damage control would be necessary to continue with the plan. He hadn't intended for anything like that to happen, but apparently Gankutsuou lost control at hearing his own words parroted back. The Count's eyes began to tear up at the pain he was going through physically and the mind-blowing thought of what he had just done. The tears soon receded, leaving a maniac look in the Count's eyes. As every day passed, he was losing himself to the evil being within his body, who apparently had no trouble dealing with committing rape. His heart had truly become ice.

* * *

Again, I don't speak french, so if anything is wrong, please don't hesitate to tell me. This is a pretty old fic acutally...so I think if I were to rewrite it a lot would be changed. Please let me know what you think! 


End file.
